Gas operated toggle action weapon

ABSTRACT

A toggle action pistol in which an over-center toggle is tripped to recede into its handle by the effects of gas pressure generated at the time of firing.

O United States Patent [151 3,661,049 Perrine [451 May 9, 1972 GAS OPERATED TOGGLE ACTION [56] References Cited WEAPON UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor: Walter E. Perrine, 51 1 N. 52nd Street, 580,923 4/1897 Browning ..89/189 X Phoenix. Ariz. 85008 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Mar. 18, 1970 8,242 1884 Great Britain ..89/189 [21] Appl. No; 20,578

Primary E.\aminerBenjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-Stephen C. Bentley [52] U.S. Cl ..89/189, 42/75 B, 8899//ll99l9 Anomey wanen F B Lindsley Int. [58] Field olSearch... ....89/l68, 175, 189, I91, 192.

A toggle action pistol in which an over-center toggle is tripped to recede into its handle by the effects of gas pressure generated at the time offiring,

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures \llllllll 13 IMJHM- mllmllllllllfiiwlilimi 1 iiillllllnhn't BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to toggle action weapons, and is particularly directed to a gas operated toggle action pistol in which the toggle is tripped to recede into the handle of the pistol by gas pressure generated at the time of firing.

1. Field of the Invention This invention is particularly directed to toggle action weapons such as pistols wherein the toggle is tripped from an over-center locked position by gas pressure from the gun barrel when the gun is fired. The toggle is caused to recede into the handle of the pistol to offset the effects of firing recoil.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, the majority of all toggle actuated weapons of this class have been recoil operated, thus lending their complexity to a degree of inefficiency that was not acceptable to the public or to the military market. Further, all prior small hand-held weapons, pistols, revolvers and submachine guns have been limited to the use of small, low energy pistol ammunition, and were limited as to size, weight, chamber pressure and velocity of the projectile.

In accordance with the invention claimed a new and improved toggle action weapon is provided which utilizes the gun barrel pressure directly to drive an over-center toggle from its locked position to a tripped position. At the time this happens the bullet has left the barrel of the gun and the residual pressure in the gun actuates the toggle to its fully retracted position in the handle of the weapon. Recoil springs in the gun return the toggle to its locked position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide an improved weapon in which gas pressure generated in a gun barrel is utilized directly to trip an over-center toggle causing it to recede to a retracted position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved weapon having a positive breech locking mechanism capable of withstanding all chamber pressures.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved weapon capable of firing rifle cartridges with safety.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a weapon with a toggle design such that there is only one point of contact in the moving parts going rearward and one point of contact in the moving parts returning to their original position, so as to make the operation of the gun completely silent.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a weapon having an over-center toggle tripped by pressure generated in the gun barrel which controls the breech pressure at the time of opening so as to eliminate or greatly reduce residual pressure at the time the breech opens.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an overcenter toggle for a weapon that is dynamically balanced so as to accomplish a smooth, consistent, and continuous pressure through out the movement of the bolt in which the line of force from the moving parts is directed to the palm of the hand thereby virtually eliminating all noticeable recoil.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterizes this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side elevation taken on the line 1 l of FIG. 2 showing a gas operated toggle action weapon incorporating the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear end fragmentary view of the weapon shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1 4 illustrate an example of one embodiment of this invention. For more details of the gun illustrated, reference is made to a copending application, Ser. No. 882,009 filed Dec. 4, 1969, and entitled Gas Operated Toggle Action Weapon by the same inventor of this application. More particularly FIG. 1 illustrates a pistal having a frame 10, and a handle 11, a trigger 12 with trigger guard 13, and bullet magazine 14. A demountable barrel 15 has a rear end diameter portion 16 having a radially disposed flange 17 which is received in the semi-circular bore 18 and groove 19 in the front end of the frame 10. An elongated clamp 20 is pivotally mounted on a suitable hinge screw 21 secured in the frame 10 so that the clamp 20 can swing downwardly as shown in FIG. 2 to the broken line position 20a. Reference is made to the copending application for more detail of this structure. The outer end of the clamp 20 is provided with a mating semi-circular bore and groove to match bore 18 and groove 19 to grip the diameter portion 16 and flange 17 to secure the gun barrel 15 in firing position on the frame 10. The clamp is secured in closed position by suitable screws 25 in the frame 10.

The bullet magazine 14 is demountably secured by the usual releasable latch in the guide sleeve 27 of the frame 10 to feed the bullets 28 into insertion and firing position by the unual bolt 29 which moves on the guide keys 30 in appropriate guide slots 31 and 32 in the frame 10 and clamp 20 longitudinally of the breech opening 33 of the rear end of the barrel 15. The rear end of the bolt 29 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 34 carried in the front end of the front link 35, the rear end of which is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 36 to the front end of the rear link 37, in turn pivotally connected by a pivot pin 38 carried in the rear portion of the frame 10 to thus provide a toggle 37 for controlling the movement of the bolt 29.

Normally, when the bullet 28 has been loaded in the barrel in firing position, the toggle 35 37 is aligned, as shown in full line in FIG. 1, with the top surface 37a up against the locating abutment surface 39 of the frame 10 at which time the axis 40 of pin 36 is slightly above a line between the axes 41 and 42 of pins 34 and 38 so that the toggle 35 37 is in a over-center locked position as shown in full line in FIG. 1. A compression spring 44 is carried on a push rod 45 slidingly supported in a clearance hole 46 in a baffle 47 in the handle 11 and pivotally connected by a pin 48 to the link 37, the compression spring 44 operating between the baffle 47 and a flange 49 of the push rod 45 to normally yieldingly hold the toggle 35 37 in overcenter locked firing position of the gun.

The toggle 35 37 is tripped from over-center locked position by gas pressure from the gun barrel when the gun is fired.

In accordance with the invention claimed a gas tube 50 is provided which communicates between a port 51 in the gun barrel 15 and a chamber 52 arranged at the back or handle end of the piston immediately above the over-center toggle 35 37. Chamber 52 contains an opening or orifice 53 directly above the over-center toggle so that gas under pressure from the gun barrel can be communicated directly to the overcenter toggle.

If desired, a pocket 54 may be formed in one of the links of the over-center toggle such as link 37 to form a means for holding or controlling the gas under pressure used to trip the toggle mechanism. Although the pocket 54 is shown in the drawing it is not intended that it be a limitation of the disclosure since gas under pressure in tube 50 will trip the overcenter toggle without the pocket indentation although the pocket more closely controls the direction of gas pressure applied to the toggle mechanism.

As shown in the drawing a compression spring 61 is arranged between a shoulder 62, formed around a bore 63 defined in a protruding lug 64 of bolt 29 and a ridge 62a formed in a bore 65 defined by frame 10 and clamp 20. Lug 64 is shown as being integral with bolt 29.

When bullet 28 is fired gas under pressure in barrel 15 is driven through port 51, pipe 50, chamber 52 and its orifice 53 to link 37 of the over-center toggle tripping the toggle causing it to start to retract to its dotted position shown in the handle of the pistol in FIG. 1.

At the time bullet 28 leaves the barrel l and is on its way to its target residual pressure still existing in a chamber 58 will drive bolt 29 backwards with sufficient force to complete the travel of the toggle mechanism 35 37 sufficient to move the center pin 36 and force it to complete its downward travel along the arcuate path 59 to its lowest point 60 down inside the handle 1 1 of the gun, compressing spring 44.

The inertia of the bolt 29 continues rearwardly compressing the recoil compression spring 61 until the end of the lug 64 engages a stop surface 67 of the frame 10. The bolt 29 and toggle 35 37 are returned to their original positions by the storedup energy in the two springs 44 and 61, This completes the firing cycle and prepares the gun for the second firing, having picked up an additional bullet 28 from the clip magazine and placed it in the chamber when the bolt returned to its original position by well known conventional mechanism.

In order to trip the toggle 35 37 to load the first bullet into the gun a manual lever 70 is provided on the gun which when rotated by the operator counter clockwise against the action of spring 71 contacts the over-center toggle 35 37 causing it to trip far enough to allow the operator to move the bolt 29 back sufficiently to allow a bullet 28 from the clip magazine 14 to enter the chamber of the gun for the first firing action Upon collapse of the toggle bolt 29 is moved rearwardly by the operator pulling on rod 72.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been shown and claimed it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A gas operated toggle action gun comprising a frame, a handle on the frame, a hollow barrel having a firing chamber, a bolt movable in the frame axially to and from the firing chamber of the gun barrel, a toggle interconnected between the bolt and the frame, said toggle being characterized by an over-center locked position slightly above a line between the outer pivot axes of the toggle on the bolt and on the frame, conduit means interconnecting the interior of said hollow barrel with a zone immediately adjacent said over-center toggle for transmitting gas under pressure in said barrel during firing to said zone for releasing said toggle from its over-center locked position, and a compression element provided within the handle interconnected between the frame and the toggle to normally yieldingly urge the toggle to upward 2. A gas operated toggle action gun as in claim 1 wherein said conduit means for tripping the toggle from over-center locked position comprises a hollow bore in the frame in communication with the gun barrel bore and a chamber immediately above an intermediate point of the toggle.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CETHICATE 8F i= l Patent No. 3 .661 ,O l9 Dated MaV 9 a 1972 Inventor) Walter E. Perrine It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

- Claim 1, last line, after "upward" should read over-center locked position.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of November" 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM powso (169) uscoMM-oc coa7e4=s9 Q 11.5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 Q-36G334.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIUN Patent N 3.66l,049 Dated Mat 9, 1922 In Walter E. Perrine It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

- Claim 1, last line, after "upward. should read over-center locked position.

Signed and sealed this day of November 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC 50376-1 69 fi U S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: [959 D-3 .-633

)FPM 50-1050 (10-69) 

1. A gas operated toggle action gun comprising a frame, a handle on the frame, a hollow barrel having a firing chamber, a bolt movable in the frame axially to and from the firing chamber of the gun barrel, a toggle interconnected between the bolt and the frame, said toggle being characterized by an over-center locked position slightly above a line between the outer pivot axes of the toggle on the bolt and on the frame, conduit means interconnecting the interior of said hollow barrel with a zone immediately adjacent said over-center toggle for transmitting gas under pressure in said barrel during firing to said zone for releasing said toggle from its over-center locked position, and a compression element provided within the handle interconnected between the frame and the toggle to normally yieldingly urge the toggle to upward
 2. A gas operated toggle action gun as in claim 1 wherein said conduit means for tripping the toggle from over-center locked position comprises a hollow bore in the frame in communication with the gun barrel bore and a chamber immediately above an intermediate point of the toggle. 